Friends: The Reunion director responds to concerns over Matthew Perry’s health

Alright, Friends fans! The highly-anticipated reunion has come and gone, and now people are wishing there would be more content for us to watch. The good news is that the Friends main cast, consisting of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, have all still been doing interviews to promote the special, and have been super active on social media about it as well.

The creators of Friends: The Reunion have also been making their rounds, and viewers will want to hear what the special’s director has just said in response to some troubling rumors. As many fans know, people became worried once the official trailer for the reunion was released, noting that star Matthew Perry looked to be in bad health.

Perry has been very open about his addiction struggles throughout the years which he suffered through during some of the filming of Friends. He eventually got sober in 2001 and presumably has been on the road to recovery ever since. Because he looked a bit older during the Friends reunion, plus the fact that many believed he was slurring his words, fans took this as a sign that he could be going down a dark path or was very sick.

Well, I don’t think either of these things was the cast, fortunately, as Perry seemed to be having a blast during the special. When asked about the actor’s health on The Hollywood Reporter’s podcast TV’s Top Five, here’s what the Friends: The Reunion director Ben Winston had to say, as reported by NBC New York:

"“He was great. People can sometimes just be unkind. I wish they weren’t. I loved working with him. He’s a brilliantly funny man and I thought he had some great one-liners in the show. I felt just happy and lucky to be in his presence and directing him on something like this.”"

NBC New York notes that Friends producer Kevin S. Bright also weighed in on Perry’s health in a separate interview, saying:

"“What people say is what people say. I don’t have any to say about that, except it was great to see him. And I think he’s very funny on the show. But yes, I think he’s OK. He seems stronger and better since the last time I saw him, and excited about going forward.”"

So there you have it! Matthew Perry has gone through a lot over the years and is no longer in his 20s or 30s anymore. Friends fans should have some compassion and leave his appearance alone.

Friends: The Reunion is now streaming on HBO Max.